1. Field of Technology
The present disclosure relates to devices and methods for repairing tissue.
2. Related Art
Areas in the body where tissue can be surgically reattached to bone or can be surgically repaired when a tear forms in the tissue include, but are not limited to, the biceps tendon, the lateral collateral ligament in the knee, the medial collateral ligament in the knee, the meniscus in the knee, the popliteal ligament in the leg, and the labrum tendon in the knee.
Fibrous tissue wounds, such as muscle, ligament, and meniscal tears, can be repaired arthroscopically using sutures. Traditionally, to close a fibrous tissue wound, a surgeon would insert two suture needles into the tissue with sutures attached, thread the sutures across the wound, and then tie knots to fix the free ends of the sutures within the tissue.
To simplify the wound closure and to improve fixation, various types of devices, and tools for use in delivering the devices, have been developed. One example of a device is the FAST-FIX™ device, which is designed to repair tears in soft tissue, such as the meniscus. This device, and other devices for use in wound closure, is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,153,312, US Patent Application Publication 2003/0130694, US Patent Application Publication US 2005/0283192, and US Patent Application Publication 2005/0033363, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.